ESKULU.COM STUDY ONLINE. NOTES. PAST PAPERS WITH ANSWERS.

eskulu.com
SUMMARISED ECZ GEOGRAPHY NOTES FOR MAP READING,
BEARING, CONTOURS, LAND USE PATTERNS ETC. (2218)

ECZ GEOGRAPHY NOTES WITH

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ESKULU ZM 11/6/18
EXAMPLES AND EXERCISES
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CONTENTS
CULTURAL FEATURES .................................................................................................................................... 5
PHYSICAL FEATURES...................................................................................................................................... 5
1. MAP READING ........................................................................................................................................... 5
TYPES OF SCALES ....................................................................................................................................... 6
MEASURING DISTANCE ............................................................................................................................. 7
Measuring Straight Line Distance ......................................................................................................... 7
Measuring Distances Other than Straight-line Distance....................................................................... 7
MAP SCALE ................................................................................................................................................ 7
Conversion of Map Scales ..................................................................................................................... 8
Grid Reference System.............................................................................................................................. 9
Direction.................................................................................................................................................... 9
How to Find Direction ......................................................................................................................... 10
BEARING .................................................................................................................................................. 10
Measuring Bearing .............................................................................................................................. 11
Finding Area on a map ............................................................................................................................ 11
GRADIENT................................................................................................................................................ 12
Calculation of Gradient ....................................................................................................................... 13
CONTOURS .............................................................................................................................................. 13
CONTOUR PATTERNS OF COMMON LANDFORMS ............................................................................. 14
Major Economic Activities on Survey Maps ............................................................................................ 19
LAND USE PATTERNS............................................................................................................................... 19
LAND USE PATTERNS FOR RURAL SETTLEMENTS ............................................................................... 19
LAND USE PATTERNS FOR URBAN SETTLEMENTS IN ZAMBIA ............................................................ 19
Services Provided in a Settlement ...................................................................................................... 19
Transport and Communication ........................................................................................................... 20
Road Networks .................................................................................................................................... 20
Railway Networks................................................................................................................................ 20
Air Networks (Airports/Aerodromes/Landing Areas) ......................................................................... 20
Post Office ........................................................................................................................................... 20
Hierarchy of Settlements .................................................................................................................... 21
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Morphology (Shape) of Towns ................................................................................................................ 21

Urban Morphology- Urban Models..................................................................................................... 22
Concentric Zonal Model ...................................................................................................................... 22
The Sector (Hoyt) Model ..................................................................................................................... 23
Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris and Ullman) ........................................................................................ 24
Urban Growth ..................................................................................................................................... 24
Urban Expansion ..................................................................................................................................... 25
Reasons for Increase in Towns and Cities ........................................................................................... 25
ROADS/STREET PATTERNS ...................................................................................................................... 26
Grid/Grid Iron/Block Pattern: ............................................................................................................. 26
Radial Pattern: .................................................................................................................................... 26
Irregular or unplanned Pattern: .......................................................................................................... 26
Land Use Patterns ................................................................................................................................... 27
Provision of Open Spaces in a Town or City........................................................................................ 27

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Prepared by William N for eskulu.com contact +260 978031524

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CULTURAL FEATURES
Cultural features are man-made features.
Examples include; Bridges, golf courses, schools, churches, libraries and houses.

PHYSICAL FEATURES
Physical features are those which form through natural processes.

Relief Drainage Vegetation

Mountains Oceans Forests

Hills Rivers Grasslands

Plateau Lakes Bushes

Knoll Swamps Scrub

Valley Dams Tundra

Watershed Waterfall Shrub

Escarpment Sea Mangroove

Plain Streams

Depressions Rapids

Cataract

Lagoons

Distributions

1. MAP READING
A map is a representation of all or part of the earth’s surface on a plane surface.
Maps provide varied information such as;
i.) The earth’s surface and its size.

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ii.) Relative size and position of countries and continents.

iii.) Physical and cultural features.
iv.) Depth and volume of water.
There are different types of maps such as; Topographical and Synoptic maps, Cadastral
maps and Cethophoto maps among others. The use of these maps depends on the
information being sought by the user.
Some information is not reflected on the map itself but in the margins. This information is
called marginal information and consists of;
i.) Name of map and series.
ii.) Scale of the map.
iii.) Compass points (direction).
iv.) Grid lines and numbers.
v.) Longitudes and latitudes.
vi.) Legend or key to the map which explains the various symbols representing physical and
cultural features, colouring and shading used on the maps.

TYPES OF SCALES
A map scale is a unit of measurement that shows a relationship between ground distance and
corresponding map distance.
Statement Scale: It is either expressed in words e.g one centimetre represents one kilometre or
the statement can be expressed in figures e.g 1cm to 2km and not 1cm – 2km.

Representative Fraction (R.F): The distance between two places on a map is expressed as a
fraction of the corresponding distance on the ground. The representative fraction can be
1
expressed either as a fraction e.g or as a ratio 1: 50 000. This scale implies that 1
50 000
centimetre on a map represents 50 000cm on the ground (1cm : 0.5km).

Linear (Line) Scale: A linear or line scale consists of a horizontal line divided geometrically into a
number of equal parts, each of which represents a number of units e.g kilometres. The divisions
on the right of point 0 are known as primaries and those on the left are called secondaries.

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MEASURING DISTANCE
Measuring Straight Line Distance
i.) Take a strip of paper with a straight edge and place it along the straight line distance
between the two given points. Mark off the distance and place it along the line scale at the
base of the map to obtain the measurement. If the distance is less than a kilometre, use the
secondaries to measure off fractions of the measurement.
ii.) Span the distance with pair of compasses or dividers. Place the span against the line scale to
obtain the measurement.
iii.) Stretch a piece of thread or string between the points and measure against the scale.
iv.) Measure the map distance by the ruler and calculate ground distance by making reference
to the map scale expressed as a representative fraction. For example if, the ruler
measurement is 4.6cm and the map scale is 1 : 50 000 (2cm to 1km) then the ground
distance would be.

1 : 50 000
4.6 : x
x= 4.6 x 50 000
x= 2 300 000= 230 000cm
230 000
x=
100 000

= 2.3km

Measuring Distances Other than Straight-line Distance

This involves measuring distances along features such as paths, roads, railway lines, rivers and
so on.
i.) The distance has to be broken into a series of straight line distances. Take a piece of paper
with a straight edge and by it along the first straight section of the feature e.g a railway line.
With a pencil mark the position of the first bend. Next pivot the paper against the pencil
point placed at the bend until the pencil is aligned along the next straight section. Continue
the process along the whole distance. Measure the total distance against the line scale.
ii.) Span the straight section with dividers or compasses. Measure each section against the line
scale. When completed add together the individual measurements.

MAP SCALE
There are different map scale sizes and can be grouped into three sizes namely;
i.) Small scale map; range between 1 : 1 000 000 and 1 : 500 000
ii.) Medium scale map; below 1 : 500 000 to 1 : 100 000

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iii.) Large scale map; 1 : 100 000 to 1 : 5 000

It should be noted that the smaller the denominator of the representative fraction, the larger
the scale and conversely, the bigger the denominator the smaller the scale.
The choice of a map scale depends on the following;
i.) The size of the ground area to be covered.
ii.) The size of the paper on which the map is to be drawn.
iii.) The amount and detail to be shown.

Conversion of Map Scales

a) Statement Scale to Representative Fraction: e.g 1cm to 5km. Express this scale to be in one
unit, in this case
1cm : (5 x 100 000) = 500 000cm
1
1cm : 500 000cm, this is a ratio scale so it will be 1 : 500 000 and as a fraction.
500 000

b) Representative Fraction to Statement Scale: e.g 1 : 1 000 000. Change 1 000 000cm to km
which will give 1km.
1 : 1 000 000
1 000 000
1 : 1 000 000 =
100 000

1 : 10
1cm to 10km

1
c) Representative Fraction to Linear: e.g 1 : 50 000 or . Change 50 000cm to km which is
50 000
0.5km. Therefore, 1cm represents 0.5km stated as 1cm to 0.5km. But a scale can never be
in decimal form. So you have to find a number that when you multiply will take it to the
nearest whole number. In this case the number is 2. So it will be 2cm to 1km.

Class Exercise
1. Express the following ratio scales to statement scale:
a) 1 : 200 000.
b) 1 : 50 000.
c) 1 : 25 000.
d) 1 : 400 000.

2. Convert the following map distances to ground distance according to the given scale;
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a) 5cm (1 : 200 000)

b) 7.5cm (1 : 100 000)
c) 6.2cm (1 : 50 000)
d) 23.4cm (1 : 25 000)

GRID REFERENCE SYSTEM

A grid reference system is a network of evenly spaced vertical and horizontal lines. These lines
are drawn on a map to locate or identify places and/or features.

The values of vertical lines increase eastwards and are therefore referred to as eastings. The
values of horizontal lines increase upwards, hence the name northings.

Each grid or square is identified by the lines which enclose its south-west corner. When
indicating the position of a place or feature, eastings are recorded first followed by northings.

Always take the values of eastings and northings appearing before the feature or value lines on
which the feature falls. When the specific location lies on the vertical or horizontal lines i.e
eastings and northings, indicate the figure zero.

The grid reference system gives location of a place or feature in terms of four or six figures. The
six figure reference is more accurate than the four figure reference (in a six figure reference the
third and sixth figures are estimated numbers out of tenths).

DIRECTION
Direction is the position of a place in relation to another and is given in reference to another
and is given in reference to compass points.

In modern times, a compass has been found to be ideal in determining direction. A compass has
four cardinal points namely; North(N), South(S), East(E) and West(W). There are thirty-two
points on the compass but only sixteen are used to describe direction.

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How to Find Direction

1. Draw a N-S line through the point where the direction will be determined from.
2. Connect the two points with a straight line.
3. Determine direction in a clockwise movement from the north.
Direction will be given at the point where the straight line connects the two points,

BEARING
Bearing is the position of a place given in degrees. It is measured as an angle clockwise from the
North(N). The bearing of a place is measured by using a protractor.

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Measuring Bearing
Steps to follow to determine bearing;
1. Draw the N-S line through the point where bearing will be determined.
2. Join the two places or points with a straight line.
3. Place the centre of a protractor on the centre of the point where bearing will be determined
from. 0° and 360° must lie on the true north line.
4. Measure in a clockwise movement from the north to where the line joining the two points
cut through the protractor.

FINDING AREA ON A MAP

Example 1
If a map page of an atlas measures 10cm by 8cm and the scale is 1 : 100 000, calculate the total
area covered by the map in km2.
A=LxB
A = 10 x 8
A = 80cm2
1 : 100 000
80 : x
𝟖 𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎
x=
𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝟎𝟎𝟎

= 80km2

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Example 2
A square 1.8cm by 1.8cm is drawn on a plan of 1 : 100. Calculate the ground area covered by
the square in m2.

A = L2
A = 1.8 x 1.8
A = 3.24cm2

1 : 100
3.24 : x
𝟑𝟐𝟒
x=
𝟏𝟎𝟎

= 3.24m2

Example 3
A right-angled triangle 3cm by 4cm by 5cm is drawn on a map scale of 1 : 100. Calculate the
ground area covered by the triangle in m2.
𝟏
A = bh 1 : 100 ÷ 100
𝟐
𝟏
= x4x3 1:1
𝟐
=2x3 1cm : 1m
= 6cm2 1 x 6 = 6m2

Exercise
1. Calculate the area in hectares of a farm on a 1 : 50 000 map with a measured length of
27.7cm and width of 22.3cm (1km2 = 100 hectares)
2. Calculate the area in hectares of a rectangular shaped forest plantation on a map drawn to
a scale of 1 : 100 000 whose map distances are 4cm and 2cm respectively.
3. Calculate the area of a show ground in km2 if the measured map length is 12cm by 7.2 cm.
The map scale is 1 : 100 000
4. If a map measures 12cm by 9cm and the scale is 1 : 200 000, calculate the area covered by
the map in square kilometres.
5. A square 2.5 by 2.5cm is drawn on a map scale of 1 : 200. Calculate the ground area which is
covered by the square in m2.

GRADIENT
Gradient is the degree of steepness of the rise or fall of a slope along a given horizontal line.
Gradient is expressed as an angle of a slope or ratio of the vertical ascent (rise) or descent (fall)
to the horizontal distance under consideration.

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Calculation of Gradient
i.) Identify two points along a slope and name them A and B.
ii.) Join the two points with a a straight line.
iii.) Measure the horizontal distance (H.E) between the two points e.g 4cm.
iv.) Convert the H.E to the actual ground distance using the given scale e.g 1 : 50 000.
Actual ground distance will be 50 000 x 4 = 200 000cm. Convert this distance to metres as
follows;
200 000 ÷ 100 = 2 000metres
v.) Find the vertical rise (V.R) of the two points using contours e.g A is at an altitude of 1 600m
and B is at 2 400m. The value of contours is always in metres (m).
vi.) Calculate the difference in height between the two points to obtain the VR; thus 2 400m – 1
600m = 800m
vii.)Calculate the gradient using the following formula;
𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 (𝐕𝐑)− height difference between two points
Gradient =
𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 (𝐇𝐄)− distance between two points

𝐕𝐑 800 8 2 1
G= = = = =
𝐇𝐄 2 000 20 5 2.5

G=1:3

Exercise
1. Calculate the gradient between two points if the VR is 180m and the HE is 3 200m.
2. Calculate the gradient if the height difference between two points is 40m and the distance
between them is 4km.
3. Calculate the gradient between R and S. The height of R is 950m, the height of S is 500m
and the distance between them is 3 150m.
4. Points A and B lie 5km apart. Point B is 2 000m lower in height than point A. Find the
gradient between the two points.
5. What is the gradient between points X and Y which are 3.4cm apart on a map scale of 1 : 50
000. X is at the height of 1 100metres and Y at 900 metres.
6. The Trou D’eau Douce Road (B26) is at a height of 60 metres as it passes through camp 1
and at a height of 25 metres where it meets the B59. The distance between the points is 4
200 metres. What is the average gradient along the road?

CONTOURS
A contour is a line drawn on a map passing through points of equal height. Contours on land
join points of equal heights above sea level. They are given in metres. The difference in height
between successive contours is called vertical interval.

To enable contours to be read more easily every fifth contour, that is every 100 metres, is
shown by a thickened line. (1 : 50 000 or 1 : 25 000).

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CONTOUR PATTERNS OF COMMON LANDFORMS

Undulating Plain: It has differences in height but has no steep slopes.

Escarpment: A ridge with a gentle slope (dip slope) on one side and a steep slope (scarp slope)
on the other side. On the dip slope, contours are widely spaced and close together on the scarp
slope.

Uniform Slope: It is a slope where contours are evenly spaced.

Concave Slope: Contours are closer together at the top of the slope and wider apart at the
bottom.

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Convex Slope: The contours are close together at the bottom than at the top of the slope. The
slope steepens as one goes downhill.

Cliff: Contours run into each other but do not cross.

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River Valley: Contours point to the higher ground, that is, upstream. Rivers flow across the
contours at the “v”. Most valleys contain rivers which flow downhill.

Gorge: A gorge is a steep sided valley. The valley floor is narrow and almost flat. The contours
are drawn closely together and approach very near the river from both sides.

Conical Hill: It is indicated by contour lines in concentric rings.

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Dissected Plateau: It is a plateau which is deeply cut through by streams.

Gap: It is a depression between two hills. It may or may not have a river.

Pass: It is a depression between two hill masses. A pass is similar to a gap only that it is
narrower and is found at higher altitude.

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Col or Saddle: This is a slight depression in a ridge of hills.

Watershed: This is a water divide or a highland separating headwaters. Streams/rivers flow

away from higher points of the watershed into different directions.

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MAJOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES ON SURVEY MAPS

1. Mining; Quarry, mine dumps, mine trench and mines.
2. Farming; Dip tank, cultivation, plantation and orchards.
3. Fishing; Fishing camps, fish farms, fish ponds, lakes and rivers.
4. Lumbering; Forests or plantations, saw mills, factories e.g paper mills.
5. Tourism; Tourist attractions e.g sandy beaches, wildlife, places of historical interest.
6. Pastoralism; Paddocks, dip tanks and ranches.
7. Trade; Markets, shops, restaurants, hotels and banks.

LAND USE PATTERNS

Land use patterns refer to how land is used for various purposes.

LAND USE PATTERNS FOR RURAL SETTLEMENTS

1. Farm use.
2. Grazing areas.
3. Forests for lumbering/woodlands.
4. Mining.
5. Fishing.

LAND USE PATTERNS FOR URBAN SETTLEMENTS IN ZAMBIA

1. Central Business District (C.B.D).
2. Industrial Area.
3. Residential Areas.
4. Agricultural Areas.

Services Provided in a Settlement

1. Education.
2. Medical.
3. Transportation and communication.
4. Recreation.
5. Postal.
6. Water and electricity.
7. Waste disposal (sanitation).
8. Advertising.
9. Banking.
10. Insurance.
11. Security.
12. Religion.
13. Entertainment.

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Transport and Communication

1. Roads.
2. Railway.
3. Airports, aerodromes and landing areas.
4. Post offices.
5. Radio and television.

Road Networks
1. A high density of roads is found in urban areas.
2. A low density of road networks is found in rural areas.
3. A high density of road networks is found in areas with gentle slopes and flat land.
4. Low road networks can be caused by high and steep slopes.
5. An area can have a high density of road networks because of various economic activities
taking place.

Railway Networks
i.) This form of transport has a high density in areas with:
-industries.
-mines.
-lumbering centers and
-areas which are gentle or flat.
ii.) Low railway density will be found in rural areas or highlands or steep slopes.

Air Networks (Airports/Aerodromes/Landing Areas)

These are constructed on open high or low flat land for safe landing. The best sites are
watersheds and plateau lands.

Post Office
They are normally found along main roads or highways with good security. They provide forms
of communication.

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Hierarchy of Settlements

Increase in population. Megalopolis Increase in settlements.

Conurbation

City

Town

Village

Hamlet

Homestead/Isolated Home

The size, population and number of services increases upwards, while the increase in number of
settlements increases downwards.

A hierarchy of settlements is the classification (ordering) of settlements according to their size

(with the smallest at the bottom and the largest at the top).
Below is an outline of the hierarchy of settlements (based on the United Nations definition);
a) Single Homestead; it is made up of a nuclear family of about four people or an extended
family of up to 15 or 20 people.
b) Hamlet; two to three houses with shops, schools and other services.
c) Village; a settlement of up to 20 000 people.
d) Town; it has a settlement of above 20 000 people but less than 100 000 people.
e) City; a settlement with more than 100 000 people.
f) Conurbation; it refers to merging of two or more towns to form one large urban settlement.
g) Megalopolis; this is where villages, towns and cities join together into one almost
continuous urban region as in North eastern, USA and Tokyo, Japan.

MORPHOLOGY (SHAPE) OF TOWNS

Morphology or shape of an urban area e.g a town shows the arrangement of activities in two
functional zones.

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Urban Morphology- Urban Models

There are various types or patterns or models of urban development. Studies of European and
North American settlements suggest three models of urban development. These models are
generalisations which illustrate and simplify certain features of the real world. The three
models are concentric zonal model, sector model and multiple nuclei model.

Concentric Zonal Model

This is a model which was initiated by Burgess in Chicago, USA hence, it is known as Burgess
Model. The model assumes a relationship between the socco-economic status (mainly income)
of households and distance from the Central Business District (C.B.D). The further from the
CBD, the better the quality of housing is done at the expense of longer commuting times and
costs. The model divides an urban settlement in zones.

a) Zone 1; Central Business District (C.B.D) where most Commerce (business and employment)
are concentrated. Urban transport infrastructure converge in this zone making it the most
accessible.
b) Zone 2; It is immediately adjacent to the C.B.D, a zone where many industrial activities
locate to take advantage of nearby labour and market. Further, most transport terminals
e.g rail yards are located adjacent to the central area.

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c) Zone 3; It is an area of high density to accommodate low quality housing for workers. As the
city grows and the C.B.D expands, the concentric rings of land use are pushed further out.
The area of immediate change near the expanding C.B.D is known as the transition zone.
d) Zone 4; Residential zone dominated by the working class and those who are able to move
away from the previous zone.
e) Zone 5; It represents high quality housing linked with longer commuting costs.
f) Zone 6; Mainly high class and expensive housing on the rural-urban fringe. Other facilities
like shopping malls, business parks, golf courses can be found in this zone. Further on, are
farmlands.

The Sector (Hoyt) Model

a) Zone 1; The Central Business District: an area with shops, offices, banks and so on like
service stations and restaurants.

Land is expensive, and the area has high rental charges and multi-storey buildings as a
consequence. There is little space and competition is high. Congestion levels are high and
vegetated areas are sparse.
b) Zone 2; Zone of Transition (twilight zone): this contains old industries that have been in
existence for many years. Due to their age, the industries have become non-profitable and
some have since closed leading to high unemployment. Such an area should be re-
developed into a modern business district.
c) Zone 3; Low class residential housing: this area is made up of old buildings. The poorest
people live here.
d) Zone 4; Medium class residential: houses are built on large estates where high rise buildings
and semi-detached houses with no gardens are found.

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e) Zone 5; High class residential area: it is an area where private, quality housing can be found.
Detached and semi-detached housing can be found. Houses have lots of garages, big
gardens and many out buildings. Most people commute to work from this zone as it is
furthest away from the town center.
f) Zone 6; Country side area (Rural-urban fringe): area between urban and rural areas. It has
pleasant or serene surroundings ideal for those seeking to escape urban areas. Many
satellite villages and towns surround major areas allowing people to live further away from
the main settlement.

Multiple Nuclei Model (Harris and Ullman)

The model describes the layout of a city. The theory says that even though a city may have
been with a Central Business District (C.B.D), other smaller business districts develop on the
outskirts of the city. Such business districts develop near more valuable housing areas to allow
people to cover shorter distances from the outskirts.

This creates nodes or nuclei in other parts of the city besides the C.B.D thus the name multiple
nuclei model. Ullman and Harris based their theory on the fact that cities do not grow on a
single nucleus (centre) but several nuclei.

Each nuclei acts as a growth point. They further stated that the theory was based on the idea
that people have greater movement due to increased car ownership. This increase of
movement allows for specialisation of regional centres e.g heavy industries, business parks and
retail areas.

The number of nuclei around which a city expands depends on the situation as well as historical
factors.

Urban Growth
The increase in the number of people living in urban areas (towns and cities) is known as
urbanisation.

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Various factors contribute to urban growth such as;

i.) Availability of education.
ii.) Availability of job opportunities.
iii.) Availability of medical care.
iv.) Availability of better housing.
v.) Outbreaks of civil wars force many rural people to flee to urban areas for security.
vi.) Better standards of living.
vii.)Natural disasters which affect rural areas such as drought and floods force people to move
into urban areas where there is easy access of donor aid.
viii.)Availability of waste disposal, sanitation and electricity.
ix.) Availability of recreation (sports and entertainment).
x.) Availability of market.
xi.) Availability of good transport and communication.
xii.)Availability of manufacturing and processing industries.
xiii.)Availability of tertiary industries.

URBAN EXPANSION
Existing towns and cities have grown in size (urban expansion) due to;
i.) Overall increase in population.
ii.) Population migration e.g rural-urban migration.
iii.) Development of trade and industry.
iv.) Availability of natural resources such as minerals.
v.) Location of settlements in relation to transport and communication.
vi.) Functions of settlements and other economic activities.
vii.)Attraction of new industries at the expense of rural areas.

Reasons for Increase in Towns and Cities

1. Setting up satellite towns as new centres to help relieve congestion in older centres or to re-
have people who work in overcrowded urban centres. Kafue town is an example of a
satellite town for Lusaka.
2. Development of the tourism industry.
3. Exposure to modern life.
4. Creation of more jobs.
5. Improvements in technology and industrialisation.
6. Government policy to decentralise industries and expand urban centres to serve as
administrative centres for new districts and provinces e.g Chilanga, Rufunsa, Chirundu,
Pemba, Zimba and Shibuyunji: Others are Ikelenge, Nsama and Lunga among others.

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ROADS/STREET PATTERNS
Grid/Grid Iron/Block Pattern:
This is where streets and roads are in form of grids or blocks running perpendicular unto each
other forming a grid or block. The streets/roads run at an angle of 90° into each other. This is
sufficiently easier to construct and maintain. It is easier to find places orderly and one way
lanes for easy traffic flow. However, this pattern can lead to congestion and accidents as
vehicles meet at opposite directions at intersection points.

Radial Pattern:
It is also known as cobweb pattern. The network of roads is in form of circles starting from the
centre of an area. In this type of pattern, traffic flows well and the central area is more
accessible. However, it is confusing, easy to get lost with greater distances to get to places.

Irregular or unplanned Pattern:

This pattern may not have specific design though they show creativity. It is easy to get lost,
difficult to find places and there is no logical order in this type of design.

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LAND USE PATTERNS

Land in both rural and urban areas is utilised in various ways such as;
i.) Recreation and leisure which includes; stadia, sports fields, swimming pools, clubs, bars,
bottle stores, cinema halls and also disco halls.
ii.) Social amenities which include; playgrounds, social halls, national theatres and beaches.

Others include guest houses, motels, lodges and hotels. The rest of the social amenities are
places of worship e.g churches, mosques, health facilities e.g clinics and hospitals and learning
facilities such as schools, colleges and universities.

Provision of Open Spaces in a Town or City

Open space can be taken to mean all open space of public value which offer important
opportunities for sport and outdoor activities/recreation. Open spaces like greenbelts where
construction of new buildings is restricted.

The list below outlines a range of open spaces that are of public value;
1. Parks and gardens including urban parks, country parks, forest parks and formal gardens.
2. Outdoor sports facilities; (with natural or artificial surfaces and either publicly or privately
owned), including sports pitches, school an d other institutional playing fields.
3. Amenity green space around houses and green village.
4. Play areas for teenagers and children.
5. Green corridors including rivers and amenity paths.
6. Natural and semi-natural urban green spaces including woodlands, urban foresity, grass-
lands, wetlands and rock areas.
7. Allotment and community gardens.
8. Amenities and churchyards.
9. Civic spaces including civic and squares and other hard surface areas designed for
pedestrians.

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